By Quentin Fottrell

Too young for credit or debit cards, the generation that grew up online still can’t really shop there. Of the $200 billion the nation’s 30 million teens spend each year, just a fraction of purchases are made online, says Dan Coates, president of New York-based YPulse.com marketing. The main obstacle? Just 6% of teens have credit cards, according to SurveyU.com. “For online retailers, teens remain a massive untapped market,” he says.

Which is why eBay, like Facebook, is exploring ways to allow those aged 13 to 18 to set up their own accounts, The Wall Street Journal reports. In explaining the move, eBay said it would make sure teens did not have full access to the site, and will not be able to view or purchase inappropriate items.

Rather than have their parents sign off on every purchase — PayPal, Chase Bank, Wells Fargo and other banks offer teen checking accounts that are co-signed by parents – experts say teens still prefer to take cash from mom and day and shop in bricks-and-mortar stores, experts say. “The mall still reigns supreme among teenagers,” Coates says. Only 7% of girls and 15% of boys say they prefer buying online, a Piper Jaffray report found. One-third of teens cited specialty stores as their preferred retailer of choice, while 36% say they like chains and discount stores.

Some price-conscious teens also spend their time reverse-show-rooming. That is, they find the latest fashions online – then buy them at the mall. Christina Berardi, 18, a student from San Francisco, shops in H&M, Urban Outfitters and Forever 21. “I like NastyGal.com,” she says, but generally buys clothes in person. “I use it for ideas.”

Teenage girls, in particular, still use the mall to socialize. “Male teenagers are task-driven, heat-seeking missiles that like to get in and get out of actual stores,” Coates says. Teenage girls like to shop in groups and use their mobile phones to send pictures of what they’re buying to friends, check for bargains and compare prices, he says.

Plus, teenagers have more freedom to buy what they want at the mall. For instance, if Berardi shops on Amazon.com or eBay, she must use her mother’s credit card, and then pays her back. “I’ve never purchased something online without her knowing,” she says, “and my mom never wants me to buy something that’s too expensive.”